The Middle East Media Research Institute has a fascinating interchange between a "liberal" Syrian actor and a illiberal Kuwaiti cleric about modernization, tradition, and identity. Most important in the debate is not the differences that the men have, but where they agree: that there are certain institutions and cultural practices which serve to bar the Arab nation's advancement and integration into the global society. Chief among them are the separation of church and state, equal rights for women, human rights, and corporate and fiscal accountability (as an antidote to rampant corruption).